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No. 6|4,l|9. Patented Nov. l5, |898. H. F. MANNING & J. K. ROBISUN.RECORDING PLATFORM OR GANGWAY. (Application filed July 27, 1896. RenewedAug. 30, 1898.)

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No. 6|4,|I9. Patented Nov. I5, |898.

`H. F. MANNING J. K. ROBISON.

RECORDING PLATFORM 0R GANGWAY.

(Application filed July 27, 1896. Renewed Aug. 30, 1898.)

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UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY F. MANNING, OF EMMITSBURG, MARYLAND, AND JOHN K. ROBISON,

OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN; SAID ROBISON ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES N. DU-

GAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RECORDING PLATFORM OR GANGWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,1 19, datedNovember 15, 1898.

Application filed July 27, 1896. Renewed August 30, 1893- Serial No.689,845. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY F. MANNING, of Emmitsburg, State of Maryland,and JOHN K. ROBIsON, of Detroit, county of Wayne, and State of Michigan,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Recording Platforms orGangways, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has reference to a mechan- 1 o ism for recording thepassage of loaded trucks, wagons, or similar objects over a platform organg-board; and the invention consists in combining with a gang-board orplatform a recording mechanism, the said parts being r 5 constructed, aswill be more fully described hereinafter, to cause a record to be madeof the passage of the loads in both directions.

The invention also consists in the details of construction andcombination of parts hereinzo after described and claimed.

In. the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view ofour improved apparatus, showing the platform in section and therecording mechanism in elevation. Fig.

2 is a Similar View of the parts in another po sition. Fig. 3 is abottom plan view of the platform. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section throughthe recording mechanism on the line a o of Fig. 1.

3o Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a platform or gangwaysustained by a rectan-` gular frame or casing, which may be embeddedA inthe ground in such manner as to bring lthe platform flush, orsubstantially so, with 3 5 the surface road or path traveled by thetrucks or loads. The casing is formed by the two side walls 2 and theend walls 3 and 4, the latter being extended upward, as at 5, to form asupport for the registering mechanism 6, 4o more fully describedhereinafter.

The platform is in three sectionsa central or registering leaf 7,mounted at its center to rock or tip on a longitudinally extending shaft8, fixed between the end walls of the casing, and two side leaves 9 and10, pivoted at their inner edges on longitudinally-extending shafts 1land 12, fixed between the end walls of the casing. The three leaves are'acted on from beneath by leaf-springs 18, 14,

and 15, which tend to hold them normally in 5o horizontal positions, thesprings being of such strength as to permit the leaves to yield onlyunder the weight of a loaded truck or other object it is intended torecord and prevent them from being acted on by the passage of an emptytruck. It will be necessary, of course, to regulate the tension of thesprings according to the weight of the particular load it is desired torecord, the essential requirement being that the leaves will remaininac- 6o tive except when subjected to the weight of the weighted truckor load.

The central or recording leaf is connected to the recording mechanism bymeans of two rods 16 and 17, pivoted to the inner end of 65 the leaf atits opposite sides, as at 18. These rods are adapted to record,respectively, the passage of a load in opposite directions, and they areextended toward each other and then vertically upward side by side,their upper 7o ends being pointed, so as to make an impression on aribbon of paper 19, fed over the pointed ends of the rods from a spool2O and beneath a bed or platen 21, against which the points of the rodswill act on the paper. The arrangement is such that the tipping of thecentral leaf on its axis will cause the two rods to alternately make animpression on the ribbon, the result being that two rows of dots ormarks are made, one by one of the rods 8o representing the loads passingin one direction and the other by the companion rod representing theload passing in the opposite direction.

In order that a load passing over the re- @Ording-leaf in one directionmay be prevented from causing the depression of both edges of the leafand the operation of both recording-rods, we provide a stop devicecontrolled by the outer leaves and arranged to 9o be moved by thedepression of either of said leaves beneath one or the other edge of thecentral leaf to prevent the same from being depressed. This stop deviceis in the form of a horizontally-movable U shaped plate 22, mounted inguides 23 on the inner end wall of the casing, the two vertical arms ofthe plate being arranged to be moved alternately beneath lugs 24 and 25,fixed to the under side of the recording-leaf, as plainly shown in Figs.l and 2. The movement of the plate is effected by bracket-arms 2G and27, which are fixed to the under side of the side leaves and which whenthe leaves are depressed will push the plate horizontally in its guides.

Under the arrangement described the passage of a load in the directionof the arrow in Fig. l will tip the outer leaf 10 on its axisand,through its bracket-arm 27 ,push the stopplate 22 to the positionshown in Fig. l, with its arm 22 beneath the lug 24 and its other armfree of the lu g 25. When the load reaches the central leaf,its rightedge will be depressed and the rod lo moved upward and caused to make animpression on the paper. The load continuing will have no effect on theopposite edge of the leaf; but when it reaches the the outer leaf 9 itwill depress the same and, through its bracket-arm 26, push the plate 22back to its former position, the arm 22XX beneath the lng 25, and thearm 22 free of lug 24. In this position of the parts if a second load ispassed over the platform in the same direction the operation is repeatedand a second mark will be made on the paper beside that first made. Nowsuppose a load is passed over the platform in the opposite direction.The arm 22 being free of lug 24, when the load reaches the central leafits left edge will be depressed and the rod 17 moved upward and causedto make a mark on the paper. The load continuing will not effect theright edge of the central leaf and when it reaches the outer leaf 10will depress the same and push the plate 22 until its arm 22 is beneathlug 24. It is seen, therefore, that the mechanism will recordcontinuously the uninterrupted passage of the loads in one direction,and the uninterrupted passage of the loads in the opposite direction,and the alternate passage of the loads first in one and then in theother direction.

In order that the ribbon may be fed with certainty, we have devised asimple feeding mechanism adapted to be operated by the movement of therecording-rods. This mechanism consists of a toothed feeding-wheel 2G,mounted on a horizontal spindle 27, projecting from the upwardcontinuation of the end Wall 4. This wheelis formed on its oppositesides with radial ribs or projections and is rotated by means of twosemicircular plates 28 and 29, mounted loosely on the spindle 27 onopposite sides of the wheel. These plates are formed at one side withteeth 30, meshing with teeth on the side of the recording-rods, and thetwo plates are provided on their inner sides at their ends each with asingle beveled tooth 3l and 32. As a result of this arrangement when oneof the recording-rods is pushed upward it will impart motion to itssemicircular plate, which will through its beveled teeth rotate thefeeding-wheel, the other rod being at the same time drawn downward andthe beveled tooth on the semicircular plate slipping over theprojections on the wheel.

It is to be observed that the central wheel is moved only by themovement of either semicircular plate in one direction, the oppositedirection of either of said plates having no effect on the wheel onaccount of the beveled shape of the driving-tooth.

I'Iaving thus described our invention, we claiml. In an automaticrecording platform or gangway, the combination with a recordingmechanism, of a platform comprising a central movable leaf or member andtwo movable side leaves, connections between the central leaf and therecording mechanism, and a stop device for the central leaf controlledby the movement of the side leaves.

2. In an automatic recording platform, or gangway, the combination witha recording mechanism, of a central leaf mounted to rock on alongitudinal axis, connections between the recordingmechanism and theleaf, a movable stop device adapted to be adjusted to permit the centralleaf to yield at one side only, two side leaves mounted to rock onlongitudinal axes, and means for controlling the adjustability of thestop by the movement of said side leaves.

3. In an automatic recording platform or gangway, the combination with arecording mechanism, of a central leaf mounted to rock on a longitudinalaxis, connections between the leaf and the recording mechanism, ahorizontally-movable stop device for said central leaf, two side leavespivoted at their inner edges on longitudinal axes, and arms carried bysaid side leaves in position to engage and move the stop device when theleaves are depressed. i

4. In an automatic recording platform or gangway the combination with arecording mechanism, of a platform embodying a leaf movable on alongitudinal axis, and connections from the opposite sides of the axisof said leaf to the recording mechanism.

5. In an automatic recording-platform, the combination with a rockingleaf, of two recording-rods operatively connected to said leaf andadapted to be moved alternately in opposite directions bythe passage ofthe load, a ribbon to receive the impression of the rods, afeeding-wheel engaging the ribbon and connections between thefeeding-wheel and the recording-rods.

G. In an -automatic recording-platform the combination with a rockingleaf of two re-V cording-rods operatively connected to said leaf andadapted to be moved alternately in opposite directions bythe passage ofthe load, an impression-ribbon and mechanism forfeeding the ribbonoperated by the movements of the rods.

7. The combination with the recording-rods adapted to be reciprocatedalternately by the weight of the load, of a ribbon against which IOO IOS

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the rods act, a feeding-wheel engaging the ribbon, driving-plates forsaid wheels on the opposite sides of the same, gear-teeth on said platesand teeth on the recording-rods meshing with the teeth on the plates.

8. The combination with the alternatelyreciprocating recording-rodsadapted to be operated by the passage of a load and provided with teeth,of the ribbon extending past the ends of the rod, a Wheel provided withperipheral teeth engaging said ribbon, driving-plates on opposite sidesof the Wheel adapted to drive the wheel when moved in one direction, andteeth on said plates en gaging the teeth on the recording-rods.

9. The combination with the central leaf, of a movable stop therefor,side leaves controlling the movement of said stop, recordingrodsconnected to the central leaf, an impres- HENRY F. MANNING.

Vitnesses:

E. H. RowE, JOSEPH A. CRETIN.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 25th day of March,1896, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

JOHN K. ROBISON.

Witnesses:

I. E. AVERY, R. H. GRAY.

